Our experimental animal model of posterior penetrating ocular injury exhibits vitreous incarceration, condensation, and organization with subsequent vitreoretinal traction and, ultimately, retinal detachment. Vitrectomy prevents the development of traction retinal detachment in this experimental model. The pathogenetic mechanisms leading to retinal detachment will be studied in detail using a multi-disciplinary approach. The type and origin of cells proliferating in the vitreous and periretinal membranes will be evaluated morphologically with transmission and scanning electron microscopy and autoradiography. Tissue cultures and biochemical techniques will be employed to characterize these cells and the matrix they produce. The presence and distribution of intracellular contractile proteins, such as actin, will be determined by ultrastructural immunohistochemical techniques, and their role in membrane contraction will be studied. Clinically important aspects of ocular trauma, such as lens injury, retinal tears, and intraocular foreign bodies, will also be explored in this reproducible animal model.